Thriller: Evaluation 7 - Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

Looking back at my preliminary task I feel that I have learnt how to involve the audience in the film, as in choosing the right shots and angles to make them think and feel insecure and in point-of-view shots in the right places. A good thriller needs props that show the scenario and the mood. In my opening I feel that I have accomplished a thriller atmosphere in the way that the props are shown, but I was strongly trying to not create a horror scenario, this was to make audience feel tension and anxiety like a normal thriller should intend to create, not to make the people watching the film get scared at the opening. The location was what I really wanted to get right, because in the preliminary task we just used a classroom and a hallway to film the sequence, so for the thriller task I wanted to set up the locations in my house to make it seem believable and realistic, like an everyday house could have more things going on behind their closed doors.

In the preliminary task I worked with someone to create a short sequence that involved some speaking and a selection of camera shots, but for the thriller task I decided to do the thriller opening by myself as I had enough ideas and skill to produce an opening using camera equipment, editing software, also finding adequate sounds to suit the mood of a thriller. For me, preparation was the most important point to get right. This was to save time and get it right first time, although filming the thriller task for the first time was not perfect as the types of shots and length of the sequence were not all right. I thought that I had created a basis to make some slight improvements for the final edit that should be the best of what I have learnt along the way in the course.

Overall I think that my media project came out good as, I did an effective work by working by myself. There were some problems that where resolved to the best of my ability.

I asked 20 people if they enjoyed my opening to a thriller. Most people said they enjoyed it but a couple said that they did not understand what was happening in the scene and it didnt look like the person was dreaming the person sharpening the knife. But this shows that most people enjoyed it and will want to watch the rest if it was ever made.

Thriller: Evaluation Question 6 - What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

During my thriller, learnt to use the camera both on a tripod and handheld. On a tripod, I used it for shots that had to be steady, such as for pans, for example in the first part when the man arrive with a briefcase. I used the camera handheld when doing tracking shots like when Tom was going into the kitchen. My weaknesses is when using the camera handheld it stutters and moves slightly. Also when doing pans it does not not look natural to the film.

A problem I faced was that the opening was filmed in wide screen, but the footage was in an unknown format, so I had to change the format from .MOD file to a .MPG file, and this turned the footage to not wide screen. So when editing the footage was not in wide screen and in my opinion it changed the quality of the film. A problem I resolved in the footage was in the second part of the film. I refilmed the kitchen scene was too bright so the mug could not be seen clearly, to resolve this in the editing stage I had to change the brightness using the effects in on the effects toolbar, and adjusted the clips to be slightly darker.

Using a new program that I have never used as quite staright foward as I learnt as I went along. Also using websites and video tutorials to help me. Like when I needed to know how to add titles I searched different websites and looked on youtube.

Videos like this one >http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mT8uxleLMrI

Thriller: Evaluation Question 5 - How did you attract/address your audience?

My primary research helped me to understand what to put on the opening sequence for the thriller, I asked selected amount people what they thought a thriller should include that enjoy, most of the people that I asked said there should not be a death at the beginning because it would be too soon to have a character die, also I ask the people what sort of location would be the best to make them think it was a good thriller would be a good thriller. The secondary research, as in previous thriller analysis, shows me that thrillers have to be mysterious but not scary as in a horror film would try and create. The build-up to the films I have analysed is very effective not revealing to much as in the story of the film but some indications of what might happen or what the film is about.

Thriller: Evaluation Question 4 - Who would be the audience for your media product?

The audience for my film would be people who enjoy watching thrillers; the certification for this film would be 15+ this would be because I have included as there is blood in the opening and potentially during the film there would be a death. This film I would say would be more appealing to young adults more than older people; this is because of the genre and the characters. This film would be successful as there is a good potential storyline and it would be economically viable as the props used are cheap to buy and there is not much need for a specific location as anywhere could be a normal location that would make the audience this it could happen to them.

Thriller: Evaluation Question 3 - What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

Similar films are distributed in different ways, they are Cinema, when the film is high budget and the money is gathered from the ticket sales, when a film is on cinema it get more publicity. When a slim goes straight to DVD and Bluray it gets money from the sales of each DVD, the good thing about DVD is that the company can get revenue continually even if the film is not that popular. For the customer they can watch it over and over again. When a film is sold to a television network so they can broadcast, revenue is received from the film being sold to the institution, selling it to a television network allows the film to hit a larger audience and allow the directer to get publicity. There are two ways that films are distributed on the Internet some are put on so people can download it and there are websites like YouTube that allow short, low budget films to get money from advertsing.

I have chosen that the best way to distribute my film is on YouTube getting a small distribution company, like Eyepatch entertainmen. I have chosen this way because of a wider audience will be able to watch it, also it is free, quick, and easy. My film would be a low budget film so I think it would have more revenue if it goes straight to the Internet so people can give positive and constructive criticism.

Thriller: Evaluation Question 2 - How does your media product represent particular social groups?

My main character Tom the person in the second part of my opening, is represented as a young adult/teenager around 17/18 years old, his age is quite young to be living alone, and people a similar age might watch this film. He is shown a male victim uncommon to thriller stereotypes, normally female characters are victims and shown as weak. The character is shown to be of a middle class as the pyjamas this indicates that he might be a working person, or studying something. The race of my main character is not important as anyone could watch the film.

Thriller: Evaluation Question 1 - In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

From my list of thriller opening conventions: ,

-Tracking shots

-Close-ups

-Shadows

-Close-ups

-Non-diagetic sound

-Low-key lighting

-Common setting

-A victim involved.

I can see what I have included and why. I have used the camera movement conventions I have found which are tracking shots and pan shots, I have used tracking shots in several parts of my opening sequence, such as in the part when Tom wakes up from the bed and then walks to the window to check the blinds and also the part when Tom walks into the kitchen.

I have used shadows to create the sense of mystery in one part of my opening. The effect this has on the scene is that it make it seem more mysterious, the audience will be affected as the scene is disturbing, as there is also blood on the table.

<<<<<<

When framing the shots I have included close-ups, to show the facial expressions in the second part of my opening and in the first part when the man is putting on the gloves. I have decided to do close-ups because the audience can see what is happening, and see the facial expressions on the characters face. The image on the side < Shows the scene when Tom is waking up and he is shoked it was just a dream.

I have used non-diegetic music because this is a convention to thrillers which make the thriller itself seem abnormal not everyday, for example in my film when Tom was in the kitchen there were that sounds he could not hear. I used royalty free music from a site called Incompetech. I found it easy to look through different genres of music and hear them as I went along and the sounds I chose fitted my theam and my video, for the first part of my video I wanted to add music that sounded like the opening of US TV series Dexter, one of the videos I analysed.

The sounds are typical to this genre, and the build-up of sound in places increases the tension. The volume increases when some actions on screen have been done, so the audience feel on the edge as something is going to happen, this add to the mysterious effect I tried to create in my film.

In the first scene I used low key lighting to add mystery to the setting. The setting is a make-shift kill room as the ones Dexter used in the TV series I have analysed.

I have used a common setting/ location; this is to enable the audience to empathise with the victim because of the place he lives. The location I have chosen is a house a middle-class looking house that anyone could live in.

A victim character is used as in most thrillers. I think that I have portrayed the victim as vulnerable as he can not do any thing to prevent what is going to happen to him. I made him seem vulnerable by using high angle shots, making him seem smaller than what he really is.

Thriller: Final Edit

Thriller: Re-Editing

I re-edited some sections I had done previously but I added the new footage and made crosscuting and made shot and snopy cuts to add tension. I also had to adjest the brightness and contrast on the filming that I did in the kitchen as the cup and the counter.

Re-Filming

Schedule:

30 mins- Prepare props and locations

20 mins- Filming in kitchen

20 mins- Filming in bedroom and stairs

The second time filming went well, as I knew want I had done wrong in the previous attempt. I set up the location, and I started filming first in the kitchen as that was the location that would take the least amount of time. I used different angles of shots too show the main characters emotion, and make the film easier to watch, without braking the 180 degree rule. When filming in the bedroom I had to make sure that the points that the people said about my draft edit was changed, for example the duvet and the lighting. As I was going along when filming I changed my plan of action and improvised what looked better. One criticism was that the film was too short and that the ending was abrupt so I added sections in between the important bits to add tension like something is going to happen, for example i added when Tom walked down stairs and walked to wards to door. Also to like the first sequence to the last I added the shot sequence of a man apparently the same man as in the dream (first part) was walking towards the other mans' house, to link it I use the same prop, the briefcase, but did not show the mans' face.